Highlander Moon by Bill Harris
soton@aol.com

Chapter 3 - With friends like him...
     From her perch on the windowsill, Luna watched as Serena shifted 
restlessly in her bed for the umpteeth time.  It was obvious to the 
feline that she was getting little, if any, sleep.  An unusual situation 
for Serena, to say the least.  But this time, instead of lying still and 
at least pretending to sleep, she sat up in her bed, heaving a sigh of 
frustration.  "You should try to get some sleep, Serena," Luna chided 
her gently.
     "I can't sleep, Luna."
     Luna made her best attempt at raising an eyebrow.  "You?  Can't 
sleep?" she said, trying to relieve the tension in the room with some 
humor, "This has to be an historic occasion."
     The attempt fell flat.  Serena glared at the cat.  "Very funny, 
Luna," she said crossly.
     Luna sighed and jumped onto the bed beside her charge.  "What's 
the matter, Serena?"
     "It's this whole situation.  Yeah, I've had Beryl and her goons 
after me for a while now, but this Mornay guy knows what I look like, 
both as Serena and as Sailor Moon.  What if he attacks here?"
     "Then you'll defend yourself," Luna replied.  "You're not exactly 
helpless you know."
     "But it's not me that I'm worried about, Luna!  I'm worried about 
Mom or Dad getting hurt... Even Sammy..."  She paused for a moment.  
"It's bad enough that I let my friends get hurt in all this, but if 
something happens to them..."
     "Nothing is going to happen to them, Serena," Luna broke in.  "We 
took every precaution to keep Mornay off your trail.  You used the 
Disguise Pen all the way from Raye's.  Plus Amy scanned the area, and 
MacLeod scouted around as well.  It's unlikely he knows where you live.  
Now, tomorrow is a big day; we're going to find the Mornay character and, 
with MacLeod's help, deal with him once and for all.  So please try to 
relax and get some sleep.  You don't have to worry about him sneaking in.  
I'm here keeping watch and Artemis is just outside doing the same.  If 
anyone..."
     "Someone call my name?"  Startled, both Serena and Luna turned 
rapidly to see Artemis sitting on the windowsill.
     "What are you doing here?!?" Luna all but shouted.  "You're supposed 
to be outside on guard!"
     "Take it easy, Luna.  I haven't gone AWOL.  I was relieved."
     "Relieved?  By whom?" Luna asked.
     "MacLeod," the white feline replied as if that explained everything.  
"He said he'd keep watch until daybreak."
     "MacLeod?!?"  Luna hopped back to the windowsill and looked outside.  
Serena moved beside both the cats and looked out for herself.  "Where?  I 
don't see him."
     Artemis waved a paw to a shadowed area of the yard.  "There."
     Serena peered closely at the spot Artemis had indicated, but she 
could barely make out the outline of a man down there.  "I can barely see 
him."
     "That's the idea," Artemis replied.  "He won't need his eyes to know 
Mornay's about.  If he shows up, he's says he'll feel him before he can 
see him."
     Luna snorted.  "Didn't the fight earlier today teach him anything?  
Mornay is too tough for him to handle alone."
     "That's what I told him," Artemis answered.  "He said, 'I can handle 
him long enough for Sailor Moon to get here with her friends.  Then we'll 
deal with him together.'"

     "I wonder how those two got along overnight?" Mina asked as she and 
Artemis were on their way to Lita's.  From there they planned to head on 
over to Raye's along with Lita and MacLeod.
     "Well, he wasn't there the whole night.  He was over at Serena's for 
a while and gave us a hand," Artemis explained between yawns.  It had 
been a long and mostly sleepless night for both him and Luna.
     "He was?  He's going to be more tired than you."  Mina paused for a 
moment and looked down with concern at her feline companion.  "Speaking of 
which, are you sure you're up to this, Artemis?  We've got a long day 
ahead of us."
     "I'll be OK," the white cat reassured her.  "I managed to get a 
couple of catnaps after MacLeod arrived."  Not nearly enough, but it 
would have to do, he told himself.
     "If you say so."  Mina wasn't all that reassured, but for the moment 
she had no other choice than to take Artemis at his word.  As for Duncan, 
she'd find out soon enough.
     A few minutes later, she was standing at the doorway to Lita's 
apartment and knocking at it.  The door opened quickly in response.  "Hi 
there!" Lita said brightly and ushered the two of them inside.
     Mina sniffed at the pleasant aroma of cooking present in the air.  
"Hmmm... that smells good.  So what did you make Duncan for breakfast?"
     "I hate to disappoint you, but I didn't do the cooking today," Lita 
answered while leading them into the kitchen.  There Duncan was putting 
the finishing touches on a pair of cheese omelettes.
     "Good morning, Mina.  If you're hungry, we've got time for me to 
make another."
     "Thanks, but I'm not Serena.  I ate before I left home."  Mina took 
a moment to sniff the air again.  "Smells delicious, though.  I didn't 
know you could cook, Duncan."
     "Most of us learn out of necessity," Duncan replied while setting 
the dishes down on the table and sat down.  "When your forced to move 
around as much as we do, it's either that or you spend centuries eating 
at restaurants."
     "I'm surprised Lita didn't insisted on cooking, since you're a guest 
and all."
     "Hey!" Lita managed to get out through a mouthful of food.
     "It wasn't for lack of trying," Duncan said in her defense.  "She 
was pretty adamant about it, but fortunately we Scots are a more stubborn 
breed.  I figured it was the least I could do to make up for falling 
asleep on the couch the moment I got here."
     "You fell asleep on the couch?"  Mina raised one eyebrow.  "Boy, 
Lita must have shown a *real* exciting time last night."
     "Mina!" Lita hissed, her face turning red.
     "I didn't mean it like that!" the blonde protested.  "Besides, I 
know that Duncan already has a girlfriend.  He told me a lot about her 
when we met in London.  When Artemis told me you were in town, I was sort 
of hoping you brought her along.  I'd like to meet Tessa someday."
     The look she got from Lita and the way Duncan froze in mid-motion 
told Mina that there was something wrong with what she had said.  But she 
couldn't figure it out until Duncan spoke softly, "She's dead."
     "Ooops."  Mina didn't know what to say to that, other than, "I'm 
sorry."
     "It's been a while," Duncan said.  "Don't worry about it."
     Mina tried to cover her embarrassment with a small laugh.  "Oh, boy.  
I guess put my fist in my eye with that one."
     "Put your foot in your mouth," a pair of male voices corrected her.
     That little bit of repartee evaporated the pallor that had come over 
the room.  Lita tried to keep from laughing while Mina couldn't decide who 
she wanted to glare at more: Artemis or MacLeod.  "I see she still doesn't 
get them right," MacLeod noted.
     "I've come to the conclusion that the day she gets one of these 
proverbs right is the day the world ends," Artemis noted sadly.
     "ARTEMIS!"

     Soon enough they had finished their meal and, after cleaning up, had 
set out for the Temple.  They were almost halfway there when Duncan paused 
in midstride and began looking around.  Both Mina and Lita watched with 
some confusion, although Mina had at least an inkling on what was going 
on.  Enough to hazard a guess, anyway.  "There's an Immortal nearby, 
right?"
     "Somewhere close by," Duncan confirmed.  As if waiting for MacLeod 
to utter these words, a figure stepped out from the shadows ahead of them.  
MacLeod reach inside his jacket for his sword, but didn't draw it yet.  
"Unless this is Mornay, do me a favor and stay out of this.  No matter 
what happens."
     "What are you, nuts?!" Lita exclaimed.
     "Just do as I ask."  He glanced over to Mina.  "You know the Rules.  
And how I feel about them."
     She nodded in response and Duncan stepped forward to confront the 
other Immortal.  Lita cast an inquisitive glance her way and she answered 
the unspoken question, "All their fights are supposed to be one on one.  
No outside help.  And Duncan takes them pretty seriously."
     Lita shook her head. "I still say he's nuts."
     Mina silently agreed, but she was willing to do it Duncan's way for 
now. Nevertheless, she held her transformation pen ready in her hand... just 
in case.

     Duncan stepped warily forward, but most of his apprehension melted 
away when he got a clear look at the other Immortal.  "I'm glad to see 
you're OK, Kane."
     Kane arched an eyebrow.  "You had doubts?"
     "Can you blame me?" MacLeod retorted.  "Last I heard, you were 
battling another Immortal when Malachite appeared and the three of you 
vanished afterwards.  So what happened."
     "Nothing happened, MacLeod.  As you can see, I'm fine."  Suddenly 
Kane moved swiftly, drawing out his blade.  "But I'm afraid you won't be!" 
he exclaimed while swinging the sword.

     "I knew it!"  Forgetting MacLeod's warning about staying out of 
this, Lita instantly had her own transformation pen out and was raising 
it skyward.  In the next instant, a pair of transformations were triggered.

     MacLeod stumbled backwards and tried desperately to draw his katana.  
But in truth, the last thing he had expected from Kane was that he would 
try and take his head.  And it seemed Kane was about to do just that... 
Except that his swing had been clumsy, enough at least for MacLeod to 
avoid it and get his sword out.  Weapons ready, the two Immortals 
started circling each other when two forms leapt to either side of Kane.  
"Hold it right there!" Jupiter shouted, getting into position to unleash 
her attack.
     Kane eyed the two Sailor Scouts and did the last thing either 
expected -- he put his sword away.  "Another time, Highlander."
     "Whenever you want," MacLeod replied.  "Except next time I'll be 
ready."
     Kane didn't reply other than by nodding and started walking away.  
Jupiter made to go after him, but MacLeod grabbed her arm.  "Let him go."
     "Why should we?" she wanted to know.  "Don't we have enough troubles 
with that Mornay guy running around?  Why let him go?"
     "I owe him that much," Duncan answered.  "He's a friend."
     "Some friend," Venus said.  "If this is his reaction when he meets 
you, what did he do when you first met?"
     Duncan didn't answer her immediately.  He watched Kane walk away for 
a time and then said quietly, "He saved my life."

Northern England, September, 1650
     MacLeod scrambled up the hillside through the underbrush, the fear 
and desperation of his situation giving him the strength he needed to try 
and stay ahead of his pursuers.  But they were doggedly staying with him.  
He had run almost two miles since his escape from the prisoner march, but 
he could still hear them behind him, getting closer all the while and 
crying out for his head.
     All in all, things did not look good.
     Two week previously, it had all seemed so different.  Then the 
Scottish army had cornered Cromwell's army at Dunbar after harassing it 
all through it's march into Scotland.  But then, through a series of 
blunders, those in charge of the Scots squandered away all their 
advantages.  The result was an utter defeat for the Scots and thousands 
being taken prisoner.  MacLeod had found himself among those unfortunates 
who were being marched back to the English city of Durham.
     Now, as if Fate had taken a hand to prove to him that thing could 
indeed get worse, MacLeod felt the sensation rush through his being, 
announcing the presence of another Immortal.  "Great," he muttered to 
himself.  "Just what I dinnae need right now."
     There was obviously no going back, not with several (eight, he 
thought) English soldiers in hot pursuit and hungry for his blood.  His 
only choice was to keep going up the hillside and hope that the other 
Immortal was not looking to take heads today.
     It wasn't long before he reached the crest of the hill.  A man on 
horseback was there, obviously waiting for someone.  MacLeod knew 
instantly that he had to be the Immortal he had sensed.  He looked to 
be shorter than MacLeod, but he was built powerfully and had the look 
of an experience warrior to him.  The other Immortal took a moment to 
make his own observations of MacLeod before he observed drily, "Looks 
like you've got trouble following you, Highlander."
     "Aye, that's true enough," MacLeod replied warily.  "I just hope 
I dinnae have in front of me as well."
     The man smiled.  "I have no argument with you, Highlander.  And 
unless you provoke one with me, you have no reason to fear that I would 
try and take your head."
     "Glad tae hear it."  MacLeod glanced down the hillside.  From his 
vantage point up here, he could see his pursuers closing in on him 
steadily.  It would only be a matter of minutes before they caught up 
with him.  "Since you're not my enemy, I'd best be going."
     "Hold on a moment," the Immortal said.  "Your pursuers seem very 
determined to catch one escaped prisoner.  Mind telling me why?"
     "It might have something to do with the two guards I killed 
escaping," MacLeod said.
     "Hmmm....   One of the guards must have been someone important.  
Important enough that they seem determined enough to chase you all the 
way back to the Highlands."  He took a moment to evaluate the pursuit 
before he said anything more.  "You stand a small chance of eluding them 
on foot.  Your best chance is to make your stand here," he advised.
     "Are ye daft, man?!?" MacLeod exclaimed.  Maybe he was, he reflected. 
 Maybe he was just as stupid as the generals that had lead Scotland's 
armies to an ignoble defeat at the hands of Cromwell's weakened and 
retreating army.  "There are at least eight of them, and I have nae 
weapon!"
     The man raised an eyebrow.  "You killed two guards and you didn't 
take either of their weapons?"
     "I took the first guard's sword," MacLeod replied defensively.  "But 
I lost it when I had tae deal with the second.  I hadnae time to grab 
another."
     "I see."  He watched the pursuit a moment before replying.  "Well, I 
see only six after you.  The others seem to have broken off.  I'd wager 
that they're riding on horseback around this hill to cut you off.  But as 
for the weapon..."  He reached for the pack horse behind him and retrieved 
a sword from the baggage, then tossed it to the astonished Highlander.  
"I believe you're familiar with handling a claymore," he observed.
     "Aye."  MacLeod drew the weapon from it's scabbard and examined it 
critically.  It looked to be a good, stout blade, one that seen a fair bit 
of use.  But there was still one problem.  "Not tae sound ungrateful, but 
it's still six to one.  Long odds at best."
     "True."  MacLeod watched in astonishment as the man dismounted and 
drew his own broadsword.  "But three to one odds are better."
     "Why are ye doing this?"
     The other man shrugged.  "It just seems like the right thing to do.  
Besides, I don't care all that much for Cromwell and his cronies.  
Regicide has a way of sticking in my craw."
     "I canna argue with that," MacLeod said.  "By the way, ye should 
know who yuir going into battle with.  I am Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod."
     He started in recognition.  "MacLeod?  Any relation to Connor 
MacLeod?"
     MacLeod nodded.  "Aye.  He's my kinsman.  Ye know him?"
     "Only briefly, about fifty or so years ago," the other replied.  He 
extended a hand over to MacLeod, which he clasped.  "Glad to make your 
acquaintance, Duncan.  My name is Marcus Kane."

Tokyo, present day
     "What happened after that?" Mina asked.
     "We made out stand on that hill.  We killed two of them and wounded 
another when they decided they had enough and ran off.  Kane lent me his 
pack horse and we rode together to the Highlands."
     "You probably could have gotten away on your own," Lita pointed out.
     "Maybe, maybe not," MacLeod said.  "The fact remains that he helped 
me out when I needed it."
     The rest of the trip went uneventfully, and quietly.  Duncan's 
thoughts where in a turmoil over why Kane had acted as he had.  Mina and 
Lita each had their own thoughts on the matter, but kept them to 
themselves.  
     When they reached the Temple, Raye was waiting for them by the gate 
with a worried expression on her face.  "I'm glad you guys are here," she 
said.  "We might have a problem."
     "Now what?" Lita grumbled.
     Raye looked the three of them over.  "What, did something happen?"
     "You could say that," MacLeod replied.  "For now, let's just deal 
with this one."
     Raye nodded.  "It may be nothing, but this guy got here about fifteen 
minutes ago.  He hasn't said anything, but I've got a feeling he's waiting 
for someone."
     "Is this guy about a foot shorter than Duncan with black hair?" Mina 
asked, breifly describing Kane.
     "I think he's a little taller than that, but his hair is definitely 
on the graying side, along with his beard.  And he walks..."
     "...with a cane," Duncan finished for her.
     There were varying looks of surprise from the girls.  "You know him?" 
Lita asked.
     "Yeah.  It sounds like Dawson, my contact with the Watchers.  But I 
have no idea what he's doing here."  He shrugged, "I was going to give 
him a call, but I guess this saves me the trouble.  Where is he?"
     "This way," Raye said, and headed onto the Temple grounds.  After 
several minutes, she halted at the edge of the courtyard and pointed.  
Duncan recognized Dawson instantly, and it looked like the Watcher was 
having an animated discussion with Raye's grandfather.  Motioning for 
the girls to keep back and out of sight, Duncan moved a couple of steps forward and waited for Dawson to spot him.  It took a couple of minutes, 
but eventually Dawson did see him and excused himself from the 
conversation.
     "What are you doing here, Dawson?" MacLeod said when the Watcher 
had gotten close enough.
     "I told you I'd be in touch."
     "No," MacLeod said, shaking his head.  "I mean, what are you doing 
*here*?"  He waved his hand around, indicating the Temple grounds.
     Realization dawned on Dawson's face.  "Ah.  To tell the truth, I 
just guessed you would show up here sometime."
     "Guessed?"
     "Yeah.  I heard a bit about the fight yesterday -- at least I 
presume there was -- so I knew you were somewhere in the area.  Since this 
is the closest patch of holy ground to there, and I already knew that the 
Scouts' activities center around this area, it seemed like a good place 
to start."  Dawson eyed MacLeod.  "Would you rather I had used a local 
Watcher to find you and chance them learning about the Sailor Scouts?"
     "Not really," Duncan said, conceding the point.  He wasn't really 
too sure about Dawson's story, but now was not the time to press the 
issue.  "But I was sort of expecting you to just call."
     "And pass up the chance to come to Japan?  Not on your life."
     "And maybe meet the Sailor Scouts," Duncan added.
     "Maybe," Dawson said with a shrug.  "But the locals make the trip 
worthwhile, too.  Take that Shinto priest I was just talking too.  Not 
only did I learn a plethora about the Shinto religion, but I also got 
plenty of tips about the local female population."  He hesitated before 
adding, "Of course, the age bracket he was describing is a little low 
for me."
     A low growling sound came from the nearby bushes, prompting Dawson 
to glance over in that direction.  "I take it that's either your fan club," 
he commented to MacLeod, "Or you're starting your own brand of watchers."
     Before Duncan could reply, there was a rustling of movement and 
Mina emerged from hiding.  "Mina," Dawson said, immediately recognizing 
her.
     "Why didn't you stay back there?" MacLeod asked her.
     "He already knew somebody was back there," she replied, shooting a 
look behind her.  "Plus he already knows about me, so why not?"
     "Well, I'm glad you did," Dawson said.  "I've been looking forward to 
meeting you face to face."
     Mina blinked.  "You have?"
     "Yep," Dawson replied.  "I've been following your activities since 
your Sailor V days, even before you met MacLeod here.  You could say I'm a 
fan."
     MacLeod wasn't sure he heard that right.  "You?!?"
     "Sure," Dawson replied.  "There's a lot more to me than being a 
Watcher, MacLeod."
     "So I'm beginning to see," MacLeod said.  "So aside from the fact 
that you're a Sailor V otaku, what other information do you have for me, 
Dawson?"
     "I've got a line on the Immortal Kane was fighting when Malachite 
showed up."
     "We know that already," Mina said.  "Philip Mornay."
     Dawson glanced between Mina and MacLeod.  "I really hate it when 
you're a step ahead of me.  I take it Mornay still has his head?"
     "Yeah, but it's not for lack of trying," MacLeod replied.  "Let's 
just say that Malachite gave him some unusual abilities."
     Dawson looked askance at MacLeod.  "I'm not sure I like the sound of 
that."
     "You'd have liked his looks even less," Mina said.
     "Well, I doubt it would have been less than how much Kane likes 
Mornay.  Those two have a history going back about six hundred years.  It 
turns out that Kane was Mornay's teacher."
     "Teacher?" Mina asked.
     "It's sort of a tradition among Immortals.  Older Immortals will 
take in those who've just become Immortals," Duncan answered.  "We teach 
them about the Rules, how to live among mortals undetected and how to 
fight.  I've done it myself a time or two."
     "Except you never had a student turn on you the way Mornay turned 
on Kane," Dawson put in.
     "What happened?" MacLeod asked.
     "The details are a little sketchy.  All we know for certain is that 
he killed Kane's wife at the time and tried to kill Kane as well.  
Obviously he failed, but managed to get away.  Kane's held a grudge 
ever since, and has taken every opportunity to try and kill Mornay."
     "So why's he working with Mornay?" Mina asked.
     Now it was Dawson's turn to doubt his hearing.  "What?!?"
     "We don't know he's working with Mornay, Mina, " MacLeod said.
     "Seems like a good bet to me."
     "Wait a minute!  What's going on?" a very perplexed Dawson wanted to 
know.
     "We bumped into Kane on the way over here," Duncan said as if that 
answered the question.
     Dawson waited for the other shoe to drop.  "And..?"
     "And... and he tried to take my head," Duncan added reluctantly.
     Dawson stared dumbfounded at MacLeod for several seconds.  "You're 
kidding."
     "Why are you so surprised?" Mina asked.
     "Because that's totally out of character for Kane!" Dawson exclaimed. 
 "We have records on Kane going back centuries, all the way back to the 
beginning of the Watchers.  He's probably older than our organization.  
In all that time, Kane has never just gone after another Immortal.  Not 
unless that Immortal has wronged him in some way."
     "Well, he certainly went right after Duncan," Mina countered.
     "But he didn't kill me," Duncan said.
     Mina snorted.  "He certainly tried hard enough."
     "A swordsman of Kane's caliber just doesn't miss an easy kill like 
that," MacLeod pointed out.
     "You ducked the blow," Mina countered.
     "Mina, he had me cold.  As caught off guard as I was, Kane should 
have been able to kill me blindfolded.  But he missed, and badly at that."  
Duncan waited a minute for this to sink in before adding, "There's 
something else going on here."
     "I agree with that," Dawson said.  "There's no way that Marcus Kane 
in his right mind would try and kill MacLeod... and there's even less of 
a chance he'd work alongside Philip Mornay."

     "I'm very disappointed in you, Kane," Horton said.  "You were 
supposed to kill MacLeod.  You had a golden opportunity to do so, and 
you failed."
     Kane shrugged.  "There'll be other chances.  Besides, two of the 
Sailor Scouts showed up.  That made continuing the fight impossible."
     "That's not what I mean, and you know it."  Horton paced a few steps 
back and forth.  "You had an excellent first strike opportunity, but 
missed."
     "MacLeod evaded the blow."
     "You were clumsy, you mean.  Your actions should have caught him 
completely off guard.  MacLeod should not have had a chance."
     Kane shrugged once more.  "It happens."
     Horton didn't reply, but he did stop his pacing and stare intently 
at Kane.  After a moment, the Immortal grimaced as a wave of intense 
pain swept through him.  "See to it that it doesn't happen again.  
Understood?"
     "Yes," Kane hissed out.  "I understand."
     Horton nodded and walked over to his two compatriots.  Malachite 
stood behind the couch, glowering.  To say that he was unhappy would be 
an understatement.  Mornay, on the other hand, sat upon the couch and 
sipped his drink like he didn't have a care.  "I told you he'd fail," 
he told Horton.
     Malachite was more direct.  "Your plan isn't working."
     "If you give up this easily, it's no wonder you haven't defeated 
the Sailor Scouts," Horton replied evenly.  If he was intimidated at 
all by Malachite's presence, the renegade Watcher gave no sign.  "The 
plan is still perfectly viable.  While MacLeod isn't dead, he is 
distracted.  His focus is no longer solely on finding Mornay.  Now it 
is split between that and figuring out what went wrong with his friend 
Kane."
     "So what do you propose to do now?"
     "No doubt MacLeod is planning on scouring the city to find Mornay 
before he can strike at the Sailor Scouts.  We should use our two 
Immortals to do the same.  In the meantime, I might be able to use his 
connection to the Watchers against him."
     "What should I do if I find them?" Mornay asked.
     "You know what to do already," Horton told him.  "If you find 
Sailor Moon, take the Silver Crystal and kill her before she can get 
help from her friends."
     "And the others?  MacLeod?"
     "Wipe them out," Horton replied.  "All of them."

     "Could you do me a favor, Dawson?" Duncan asked.
     "I think I'm ahead of you this time," Dawson replied.  "I'll get in 
touch with the local Watchers, and have them keep an eye out for Kane and 
Mornay.  I'll also talk to Kane's Watcher again and see if she noticed 
anything out of the ordinary about him lately."
     "Thanks, Dawson."
     The aging Watcher nodded to MacLeod and started for the street.  
"I'll be in touch.  But watch your back, MacLeod.  Both you and your new 
friends."
     "Sound advice for any era," Duncan said, loud enough for Dawson to 
catch.  As soon as Dawson was out of sight, Lita and Raye emerged from 
their hiding place.  "Once Serena and Amy get here, we can get started."
     Raye snorted.  "I hope you like waiting."
     "Why?" he inquired.
     "Because Serena is always late."
     MacLeod felt a rapidly becoming familiar sensation rush through his 
being.  It told him that either Amy or Serena was approaching, or 
possibly both.  He decided to gamble on the outcome, and maybe have some 
fun doing so.  Putting on his best poker face, he said,"Oh, really?  Would 
you care to place a small bet on it?"
     "You've got to be kidding," Raye said.  "With Serena, that's a sure 
thing."
     Duncan smiled. "Come on, humor me.  Loser buys the drinks."
     "Done." They shook hands to seal the bet.  "I thought someone your 
age would be smarter than..."
     "Hi guys!" Serena came up to them, followed closely by Luna, Amy and 
Lita.
     Duncan looked at Raye with an insufferably smug smile on his face.  
"You were saying?"
     Raye's eyes practically leapt from their sockets.  She checked her 
watch and looked back up at Serena, then repeated the process at least 
twice more.  "Serena?!? You're... five minutes EARLY?!!?" she said, her 
voice rising to a near shriek.
     Serena place her hands on her hips and scowled at Raye.  "You don't 
have to get so wigged out, Raye.  You act as if you've never seen anyone 
on time before."
     "I've never seen YOU on time before!  Let alone early!  You usually 
don't get out of bed for another hour.  And that's on a school day!"
     "Oh, very funny."  Serena stuck out her tongue and gave Raye a 
raspberry.  She was still too stunned to return it.
     "You can pay up later," said Duncan.  "Right now we've got a lot of 
ground to cover."
     "Right," Mina said. "OK, we split up into three teams.  Duncan, Luna 
and Artemis each on one.  I'll go with Artemis, and I guess you'll want to 
go with Luna, Serena?"
     "You bet."
     "I'll go with Duncan," Lita volunteered.
     "And I'll go with Serena and Luna," a recovered Raye said, prompting 
several looks of astonishment from the others.  The exception was Luna, 
who groaned inwardly and hoped that the inevitable shouting matches 
between the two girls would be slightly less noisy than an artillery 
barrage.
     "Then that puts me with Mina and Artemis," Amy said.
     "Then it sounds like we're set to begin.  Just remember, if you spot 
Mornay, don't try to take him on yourselves.  Call the others, and we'll 
tackle him together."
     "And what if we spot Kane?" Mina asked.
     "Leave him to me," Duncan replied in a voice the brooked no argument. 
 "Let's get started."

     Mina watched as Amy performed yet another scan of the area.  They 
were having the same luck as Raye and Serena were in locating Mornay -- 
namely, none.  Still, hope wrings eternally, she told herself.  "Anything?"
     "I'm afraid not," Amy replied.  "I thought I had the scanning program 
set to detect Immortals, but something must be wrong.  I'm barely detecting 
Duncan."
     "Well, he is pretty far from here," Mina pointed out.  "Last I heard, 
he and Lita were just about on the far side of the city."
     "That's well within my scanning radius."  Amy stared glumly at the 
readout.  "There must be some factor I haven't taken into account.  Maybe 
Immortals have some unknown ability that shields them from detection... Or 
maybe there are just too many people around for the scan to be effective..."
     "Or maybe we should just open our eyes," Artemis chimed in.  "Look!"
     Both girls looked in the direction the cat indicated.  "There he is," 
Mina said as she spotted Mornay walking down the other side of the street.  
"Do you think he sense us?"
     Amy was busy working her computer again. By focusing the scan on the 
area where Mornay was, she was able to pick him up on her scanner.  "Maybe," 
she said in answer to Mina's question.  "We just don't know enough about an 
Immortal's sensing ability to be able to figure out it's effective radius."
     "Hey, he's getting away!  Shouldn't we start following him?"
     "Take it easy, Mina.  I've managed to get a lock on him with my 
computer.  We should be able to follow him wherever he goes."   
She hesitated briefly, then added, "Although, considering that my earlier 
scans didn't detect him nearby, we may have to keep somewhat close to him 
to maintain the lock."
     "Then what are we standing around for?  Let's go!"  Not waiting to 
see if her companions were following, Mina started down their side of the 
street, intent on keeping a watchful eye on Mornay.
     Artemis and Amy immediately started after her.  "Slow down, Mina," 
Artemis urged her.
     "You heard what Amy said.  We have to keep him in sight or we'll 
lose him again."
     "That isn't exactly what she said.  Besides, remember what MacLeod 
said about contacting him before trying anything?"
     "Duncan worries too much," Mina replied confidently, "Let's see 
where he's going first."

     "Are you sure we're in the right spot?" Duncan asked.
     Lita sighed and tapped her foot impatiently.  "I told you we were 
fifteen minutes ago," she told him tersely.  
     "Great," MacLeod muttered.  He and Lita had been several hours into 
their search when he had gotten a call from Dawson.  One of the local 
Watchers had spotted Kane in this vicinity.  Dawson had said that he 
would be waiting for them at this street corner, but MacLeod didn't see 
any sign of him around.  Either something had happened to him, or he had 
been forced to move on.  "Let's scout around and see if we can find him."
     "Why are we looking for this guy?" Lita asked, following MacLeod.  
"I mean, he spotted Kane.  I thought Mornay was the bigger threat."
     "He is."  MacLeod stopped and turned to face her.  "But if we find 
Kane, we're likely to be that much closer to finding Mornay."
     "How do you figure?"
     "Look at the facts," MacLeod replied.  "They were both seen fighting 
each other in London when Malachite showed up and whisked them away to 
wherever..."
     "The Negaverse," Lita put in.
     Duncan shrugged.  "Could be, but the point is that they both 
vanished with Malachite.  And now Mornay has these powers, and Kane 
tried to kill me the moment he saw me.  There has to be some connection.  Somehow they've controlled Kane into working with Mornay, a man he's 
hated for centuries."
     "OK, you've made your point," Lita conceded.  "Problem is, your 
contact is nowhere to be found."
     "Yeah," MacLeod said.  "I'll give Dawson a call.  Maybe he's heard 
from him."  He was reaching into his jacket for his cell phone when he 
spotted something in the alley behind Lita.  "Uh oh..."
     "Huh?" Lita asked, puzzled.  She grew even more confused when the 
Highlander brushed past her and raced into the alley.  But her confusion 
didn't last too long.  MacLeod quickly reached the crumpled form he had 
seen, and the Immortal knelt down beside it.  He checked for a pulse, but 
from the coolness of the body and the pool of blood nearby, he knew he 
wasn't going to find one.  "Is he...?" Lita asked, coming up behind him.
     "He's dead," MacLeod confirmed.  He grabbed the man's right arm and 
did a quick check of the wrist.  As he suspected, a very distinctive tatoo 
was there. "He's the Watcher we were supposed to meet, too.  They all have 
this tatoo on the wrist."
     "Who do you think killed him?  Kane?"
     "It looks like it," MacLeod said.  "He was killed by a single 
swordthrust, right to the heart."
     Lita watched Duncan take out his cell phone and call Dawson to give 
him the bad news.  While he was talking to the Watcher, she felt something 
underfoot when she shifted her feet.  Looking down, she saw a mini-cassette 
recorder.  "This mean anything?" she asked, holding it up.
     "I'll get back to you, Dawson."  Duncan took the recorder and 
examined it.  "Voice activated, and it's still working.  If we're lucky, 
it's got the information he was going to give us on it."  He glanced 
around.  No one else had spotted the body yet, but it was only a matter 
of time.  "Come on.  Let's get out of the area and then find out what's 
on this."

     "Come ON, Serena!" Raye pulled on Serena's arm, practically dragging 
her out the door.
     Luna had been waiting patiently for them out front. 'Oh, no,' she 
thought.  'Here we go again.'  This was exactly what she had dreaded when 
Raye had volunteered that morning.  What was puzzling to her was why it 
had taken so long to materialize.
     "Do you mind, Raye?  I hadn't finished my ice cream yet!"
     Raye gave Serena a look which would have melted several small 
glaciers, causing her to take a step back.  "We're SUPPOSED to be looking 
for a guy who want to kill you, remember?  Along with that other 
Immortal."
     Serena sighed. "We've been looking for them all day, Raye. I'm 
completely exhausted."
     Raye threw her hands up in frustration and stalked off, heading in 
the direction of the temple.  "I give up!  I should have gone with Amy or 
Mina.  I don't know why I got stuck with you!"
     Serena kept pace with her.  "You volunteered, remember?"
     "Must have been temporary insanity," Raye growled.  "Brought on by 
you actually getting someplace early."  Serena glowered at that comment, 
but she held her tongue.
     "So why'd you do it?" Serena asked after they had walked a bit.
     "Do what?"
     "Volunteer to come with me?"
     "Somebody has to keep an eye on you.  You certainly don't," Raye 
said automatically, then instantly regretted saying it.  She braced 
herself for the inevitable reaction.
     Serena reacted alright, but it was hardly in the way Raye expected.  
She suddenly spun to face Raye, anger burning in her face.  "Raye, I've 
HAD it with you constantly nagging me!  Just stop it!"  Before Raye 
could respond, she turned her back to her and stalked off.
     Raye watched her go with a stunned expression on her face.  "Don't 
take it too hard, Raye," said Luna.  "She barely slept at all last night.  
I expect it's made her a bit snappish."
     "Yeah," she said softly.  "I guess so."  She ran to catch up with 
Serena.  "Don't worry, Serena.  We'll find these guys soon."
     Serena suddenly stopped.  "How about right now?" she said,  staring 
straight ahead.  A man was standing in their path several paces away.
     Marcus Kane took a couple of steps towards them.  "Call MacLeod," 
he instructed them harshly.  "*Now*."

Next - Chapter 4, "The Gauntlet is Thrown"